Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Monday, September 12, 2011

Jews dancing in the Old City in Rosh Hashanah video

This ain't your grandfather's hora.

From Aish:

Iranian again forfeits wrestling match with Israeli

More than 800 wrestlers from all over the world are ready for the big showdown, as the World Wrestling Championship starts in Istanbul on Monday.

Five Israeli wrestlers have been registered to participate in the world championships, which will start in Istanbul on Monday.

FILA President Raphael Martinetti said the Israeli federation did not contact the world wrestling’s governing body to ask for increased security.

“Israel did not ask for special security,” Martinetti said at a press conference last week. “Sometimes athletes can get last-minute injury reports to rule themselves out when an Iranian is set to meet an Israeli, but I don’t think that will be the case here, since the organization is important for athletes who want to earn an Olympic berth.”

It looks like Iran had one of those "last minute injuries."

YNet Hebrew reports that Robert Avinshin won when his Iranian opponent Hasam Golmarzeh did not appear.

(h/t Dan)

Egyptians believe Israel's embassy flag is meant to show Israel's border on the Nile

A small, nutty detail among all the reporting from the Israel embassy over the weekend, from Al Ahram:

Many Egyptians have believed for 30 years that Israel chose to implant its embassy in this specific location in order to be able to fly its Star of David, blue and white flag over the Nile.

And why should Israel care so much to fly the flag over the Nile? Why, obviously, to demarcate Greater Israel - which takes up all the land from the Nile to the Euphrates!

And indeed that is what they think. This Facebook group talks about it, and the Egyptian who took down the Israeli flag from the embassy in August claims that he saw a banner on top of the building that said, in Hebrew and Arabic, "The Land of Israel from the Nile to the Euphrates."

Even Al Ahram notes that most Egyptians are so irrational as to believe that Israel would choose a site for its embassy, not for security, but to engage in a symbolic annexation of a good portion of Egypt.

Ma'ariv reports that it took US threats to withdraw all aid to the Egyptian military and take away its own embassy personnel before the government decided to help out the Israeli guards who were facing a lynch mob. It also reports that Israel is looking for a new location for the embassy - presumably not on the Nile.

(h/t Yoel)

Podcast interview with Max Brenner protesters in Australia

Ben Fordham talks to protesters outside of Max Brenner chocolate shop. Some of them say that the Mossad and CIA were behind 9/11; others support Gaddafi against NATO.

Fordham asks many of they had ever been to Palestine; none had. When one challenges him saying it is irrelevant he mentions that he had worked in Palestinian Arab camps helping the residents there.

(h/t Daphne Anson)

Poll: Arabs split between supporting, opposing 9/11 attacks

From Arutz-7 - original story in Arabic at Al Arabiya:

More than one-third of Arabs justify the 9/11 attacks, and only 23 percent believe Al Qaeda was behind the aerial suicide bombings.

The survey included 220,000 Arabs and was carried out by the Al-Arabia television channel in Dubai and a British research institute.

Thirty-six percent of the respondents justified the attacks, but only 38 percent took the opposite view, leaving another 16 percent undecided or with no opinion.

Only 23 percent believe that Al Qaeda was behind the attacks, while a large number – 26 percent – think that the terrorist organization did not plan and carry out the hijack-bombings.

The poll was done by Al Arabiya and YouGov Siraj, but the raw results are not available online.

Al Arabiya has not yet translated their analysis into English.

Meanwhile, International Business Times notes the prevalence of 9/11 conspiracy theories in the Muslim world:

Following 9/11 and despite Al-Qaeda claiming the attacks, conspiracy theories emerged rapidly, with many blaming a Zionist enterprise. While many claim a Zionist involvement, very few seem able to explain how Bin Laden, a symbol of the fight against the West and the infidels for many Islamist extremists, apparently worked hand in hand with the Jewish lobby groups to prepare the attacks.

Most of the conspiracy theories insisting the leadership behind the attacks was more Zionist than Islamist. However for such bizarre beliefs to be taken seriously one would have to assume that Osama Bin Laden himself was a secret pro-Zionist and was part of a Zionist plot aimed at world domination.

While some theories accuse Israeli army veterans, an Israeli spy ring or even the media, most fail to give even a walk on part to al-Qaeda, preferring instead to focus on Jews. The surge of such theories also angered al-Qaeda leader Al-Zawahri, who at the time accused Hezbollah and Iran of being behind the rumours saying "The purpose of this lie is clear - (to suggest) that there are no heroes among the Sunnis who can hurt America as no else did in history. Iranian media snapped up this lie and repeated it," he said.

The intrafada continues

From Ma'an:

Unidentified assailants detonated an explosive device overnight Sunday in front of the home of a Palestinian Authority general intelligence officer in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City, witnesses told Ma'an.

Residents said an explosion was heard at 4.15 a.m. by an outdoor parking lot where PA intelligence officer Muhammad Nayif Addiri parks his car.

PA leaders cannot walk around safely in Gaza, but, hey, the world will give them a state that they cannot control anyway.

Turkey sending boats to confront Israel? Plus, Israeli band in Turkey

From Today's Zaman:

The Turkish Navy is planning to dispatch three frigates to the Eastern Mediterranean to ensure freedom of navigation and to confront Israeli warships if necessary, a Turkish news report said on Monday.

The Turkish frigates, to be dispatched by the Navy's Southern Sea Area Command, will provide protection to civilian ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, blockaded by Israel since 2007, the Turkish daily Sabah reported. If the Turkish warships encounter an Israeli military ship outside Israel's 12-mile territorial waters, they will advance up to 100 meters close to the ship and disable its weapon system, in a confrontation that resembles dogfights in the Aegean Sea with Greek jet fighters, according to the report.

The report comes days after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that Turkish warships will escort civilian aid ships headed to Gaza to prevent a repetition of last year's Israeli raid on a Turkish-owned ship that killed eight Turks and a Turkish-American, setting the stage for a potential naval confrontation with its former ally.

The Jerusalem Post picked up on this as well.

This report does not ring true.

First of all, Turkey has somewhat distanced itself from the warlike remarks Erdogan gave last week about accompanying humanitarian aid vessels to Gaza with warships:

According to official sources in Turkey, reporters artificially combined two different remarks made by the Turkish prime minister, creating one sentence perceived as a threat of a military clash in high seas.

The new version, sent to the media from Erdogan's office, attempts to clarify the statement.

"We stressed the principle that we will ensure the safe movement of Gaza's aid vessel," said a senior Turkish government source. "The eastern Mediterranean Sea is not Israel's private playground. As long as it avoids intervening in the freedom of movement in the region, we won't send any warships to escort the vessels."

The source dismissed the published quotes as a bad translation which failed to understand Erdogan's intention. "It appeared as if we were offering to have warships escort every aid vessel. This is not true. Turkey will defend the rights of its citizens only when Israel chooses to intervene and prevent free movement in international waters."

Secondly, what humanitarian aid ship? No one announced any aid ship I am aware of.

I don't know the political affiliation or editorial stance of the Sabah newspaper, but given the testosterone-driven culture of Turkey is seems pretty easy to imagine the media prodding the government towards war and inflaming the masses. In some ways, the Turkish media may be a bigger issue than the statements coming from the government, which still appear to be more bluster and posturing.

Until there is confirmation, I think that jumping on this story as fact is premature - and might play into the hands of warmongers.

Meanwhile, the English version of Sabah reported Israeli heavy meta band Orphaned Land performed last night in Istanbul:

Israeli heavy metal is rocking Turkey despite deep discord between the Jewish state and its Muslim former ally as hundreds of fans turned out to hear a group called Orphaned Land play a concert in Istanbul.

The group played to Turkish fans and others who came from countries across the Arab world on Saturday. Because the Israeli musicians can't enter many Arab states, they perform several times a year in Turkey, a hub for their fans.
...
The group initiated a brand of music it called "Jewish-Muslim metal" that is derived from heavy metal. Many of the band's songs include prayer lyrics from Jewish liturgy, the Koran and other religious texts.

Farhi said there are hundreds of groups who play a similar genre operating out of sight of the authorities, mainly in more moderate Arab countries. Later this year Orphaned Land will tour Europe with metal bands from Algeria and Tunisia, he said.

The group is also considering holding a concert in Egypt after a Facebook poll showed that 83 percent of their fans said they should.

In Istanbul on Saturday, Orphaned Land's fans were not disappointed. Some came all the way from Iran and Lebanon, waving their national flags.

"Music doesn't recognize closed doors. Once again, this has proven to be true. I believe all people here are supporting them and their performance is really good," one Turkish fan told Reuters.

"It takes courage to do what they are doing, coming here and performing for us. We will always be here with them and sing with them," another said.

(h/t Yoel)

UN: Syrian death toll at 2600

From YNet:

The United Nations' top human rights official says the death toll from six months of unrest in Syria has reached at least 2,600.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay says the figure is based on "reliable sources on the ground."

Meanwhile, Bouthaina Shaaban, an adviser to President Bashar Assad, said that a total of 1,400 people have died in the unrest: 700 opposition activists and 700 police dead.

Pillay spoke Monday at the opening of a three-week meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Meanwhile, France spoke up:

Alain Juppe, France's foreign minister, has stepped up pressure on veto-wielding Russia to support a UN Security Council resolution against the Syrian government's violent crackdown on protests.

Speaking during a visit to Australia on Sunday, Juppe said the UN's failure to condemn the actions of Syrian security forces against anti-government protesters was a "scandal".

He said that France and Russia remained divided over Syria after talks between French and other foreign ministers in Moscow last week.

"We think the regime has lost its legitimacy, that it's too late to implement a programme of reform," Juppe told reporters.

"Now we should adopt in New York the resolution condemning the violence and supporting the dialogue with the opposition," he said.

"It's a scandal not to have a clearer position of the UN on such a terrible crisis".

About 18 more were killed over the weekend.

World Bank: Cash crisis threatens PalArab state; it's Israel's fault (updated)

The World Bank came out with a report saying that the current financial crisis in the PA, the result of world donors not paying up their pledges, is really Israel's fault. Here's the executive summary:

The September 2011 meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee coincides with the completion the Palestinian Authority’s ambitious two-year program “Palestine: Ending the Occupation, Establishing the State”, presented on August 25, 2009. There has been substantial progress in implementing the program’s goals and policies, centering on the objective of building strong state institutions. However, the onset of an acute fiscal crisis, accompanied by declining economic growth, may undermine the promise of these institution-building achievements.

In areas where government effectiveness matters most – security and justice; revenue and expenditure management; economic development; and service delivery – Palestinian public institutions compare favorably to other countries in the region and beyond. These institutions have played a crucial role in enabling the positive economic growth in the West Bank and Gaza in recent years.

Though significant, this growth has been unsustainable, driven primarily by donor aid rather than a rebounding private sector, which remains stifled by Israeli restrictions on access to natural resources and markets. Under these conditions, lower-than-expected aid flows in the first half of 2011 had an immediate impact on the Palestinian economy. Real GDP growth, steadily increasing in 2009-2010 and previously projected to reach 10 percent in 2011, is now expected to be 5 percent. The shortfall in external financial support in the first half of 2011 has also contributed to the current fiscal crisis facing the Palestinian Authority.

The situation underscores the interdependence of institution-building and sustainable economic growth in laying the economic underpinnings of a future state. To date, the Palestinian Authority has continued to implement its reform agenda, but a protracted fiscal crisis risks jeopardizing the gains in institution-building made painstakingly over the past years.

Ultimately, in order for the Palestinian Authority to sustain the reform momentum and its achievements in institution-building, remaining Israeli restrictions must be lifted. The resulting revival of the private sector can be expected to grow the tax base and gradually reduce dependence on external assistance. Until then, however, West Bank and Gaza will remain vulnerable to reductions in aid flow, and these will need to be managed carefully.

I don't know specifically what restrictions Israel has still puts on the Palestinian Arab private sector. Certainly, the current government has done more to encourage the Palestinian Arab private sector to grow than any other. It is PA policy that makes so many dependent on government jobs. The World Bank is silent.

Israel exports Palestinian Arab agricultural goods to Europe. Boycotters specifically target these goods. The World Bank is silent.

Tens of thousands of Palestinian Arabs work in Israel or for Israelis in Judea and Samaria. The PA has been trying to stop them from holding on to the jobs near their homes without providing any alternative. The World Bank is silent.

One reason the private sector cannot thrive is because the Palestinian Arab economy is dependent on NGO money where workers get much better salaries writing anti-Israel reports rather than doing productive work. The World Bank is silent.

There is nothing Israel could possibly do to stop the PA from pushing internet-based goods and services as a cornerstone of a private sector that is not tied to any geographic or export restrictions that may exist. Yet they have done nothing to build a 21st century economy. The World Bank is silent.

The donor nations that have not fulfilled their pledges are all Arab nations who apparently have gotten sick and tired of the Palestinian Authority refusing to talk with Israel and move forward, even though they cannot say so publicly. So they are saying so with their wallets. The World Bank is silent.

Even before this year's shortfall in donor aid, the PA was refusing to pay contractors for work they had done. The World Bank is silent.

The memo somehow gives credit to the Palestinian Authority for the economic growth in Gaza, even though their entire contribution there is to spend some 60% of their budget to Gaza where their workers are paid to do nothing while Hamas runs the entire sector. The World Bank is silent.

In fact, it is inconceivable that the memo does not mention the biggest obstacle to having an independent Palestinian Arab state - the fact that much of that state has a separate and hostile terrorist government. The World Bank is silent.

The earlier World Bank study that praises the PA's institution building has been heavily criticized with many specific examples showing that the PA was not doing nearly as much as they claim. The World Bank is silent.

No, the World Bank chooses to ignore all of these facts and blame Israel alone for the serious problems with the Palestinian Authority and the economy in the territories. Now, why might that be?

Update: Challah Hu Akbar found the entire report; I had originally thought that the executive summary was all the WB released.

The report is stunning in how it ignores Hamas, and (when it is convenient) how it ignores Gaza altogether. When it wants to blame Israel for problems, it brings up Gaza; when it wants to praise the PA (security, justice, institution building), all of a sudden its statistics ignore Gaza where 40% of Palestinian Arabs live. The report simply does not acknowledge that Gaza is run by a different government. Amazing.

Morning links

The first hero of 9/11 was an Israeli (YNet video)

Netanyahu's speech yesterday on 9/11 (video, speech starts at 4:00)

Asaf Romirowsky on The UNRWA Anomaly

Why the Muslim beard bodes trouble (MEF)

I'm getting lots of hits from the Ben Dror Yemini piece in Maariv (Hebrew)

New political ads from Not Pro-Israel

Belgian trade show manager denies that he dis-invited Israeli ambassador (story here)

(h/t Richie Miller, Noah, Yerushalimey, Rudi)

Overnight open thread

9/11 is always a tough day.

Send in the clowns: Durban III counter-protest September 22

From HaOlam:

A StandWithUs-sponsored “circus” will expose the shocking hypocrisy of the United Nations when the UN puts on its third “Durban conference” against racism on September 22 in New York City. The circus and clowns StandWithUs is sponsoring will appear in front of UN headquarters on Sept. 22 from noon until 2 PM, just when the three-ring circus known as the Durban III conference is under way. Leading democratic nations have severely denounced the previous two Durban conferences, held in 2001 and 2009, for demonizing Israel and for flagrant anti-Semitism.

“One good way to counter the Durban conference’s hypocritical travesty of human rights is with parody. Sometimes humor reveals the deepest truths. There is no possible rational response to the Durban conference’s perverse distortions. They are too divorced from any reality. In fact, they turn reality upside down. We plan to fight the UN ‘clowns’ with actual clowns that expose their hypocrisy and perversity,” explained Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs.

Durban I, the first conference against “racism, xenophobia, and other forms of intolerance,” held in 2001 in Durban, South Africa, was a travesty of its stated goals that shocked the world’s democracies. The conference turned into an anti-Semitic hatefest that singled out democratic, multicultural Israel as the most racist country in the world, while ignoring discrimination and human rights crimes rampant in the Middle East, Africa, and elsewhere in the world. The conference allegedly against racism had turned into a hotbed of racism. Canada, the U.S., and Israel walked out of the conference and condemned Durban I for fomenting the world’s oldest racism, anti-Semitism.

Indifferent to these widespread denunciations of Durban I, the UN attempted to reaffirm the Durban I declaration in a second conference in 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland. ...

At the demonstration in New York, clowns will wear Ahmadinejad masks and hold balloons that correctly label Durban III as a forum for hypocrisy, racism, and lies.

“The balloons are symbolic but accurate. The Durban conferences cast all decent values to the winds. Hopefully, our demonstration will encourage the world to demand that the UN finally live up to its original ideals,” concluded Rothstein.

You can join the protest yourself; just show up in a clown costume!

StandWithUs is a partner of EoZ.

Zionist pigs return to torture Palestinian Arab farmers!

It's been over a year since the last story about Zionist-bred and trained wild boars attacking poor Palestinian Arab farmers - but the Zionist Pigs are back!

Farmers say Israeli settlers unleashed pigs overnight Saturday to destroy their land in Salfit in the northern West Bank.

Farmers told Ma'an that the pigs destroyed a fence and broke branches of fig trees. They said they were afraid to remain on their land and appealed for help to protect their property.

This has been a recurring theme since at least 2007.

Ma'an used to routinely report the accusations that the Jews of Judea and Samaria were raising these pigs and releasing them to only attack Arab crops, often during prayer times, spreading swine flu, while leaving Jewish agriculture alone.

At least now they are reporting it as "farmers say" than as fact.

British Muslims burn American flag outside US embassy for 9/11

From The Telegraph:

A number of radical Islamic groups including Muslims Against Crusades (MAC) gathered outside the embassy on the 10th anniversary of the attacks.

The group of around 100 men shouted "USA terrorists", brandished anti-American placards and chanted through a loudhailer.

Several members of the Muslim groups made anti-American speeches following the flag burning. One said: "You will always face suffering, you will always face humiliation, unless you withdraw your troops from Muslim lands."

Another declared that America had been "defeated in Iraq and defeated in Afghanistan".

However, a small opposing group of Muslims - some of whom had travelled hundreds of miles to rebut the extremists - staged a counter-demonstration nearby, holding up placards reading "Muslims Against Extremism" and "If You Want Sharia, Move To Saudi".

(h/t SSR)

Anti-Israel group encourages lying to security at Ben Gurion Airport

The Middle East Fellowship and Holy Land Trust have a booklet where they describe, among other things, how anti-Israel activists should act when they try to enter and leave Israel. It also describes Palestinian Arab bigotry against Westerners, women and Jews, but it contextualizes and minimizes it. Here are some of the interesting parts:

Palestinians are very traditional when it comes to romantic relationships. We urge you to refrain from romantic relations with Palestinians or members of the program for the duration of your stay in Palestine.

Safety

Israel and Palestine have admittedly had a bad international profile when it comes to danger from within the country. Stories of bombings, shootings, demonstrations and uprisings are common enough through the images we see in the media. As a result many would-be visitors stay away from the region. The reality is much different from the perceptions that are manufactured on most media outlets.

Traveling within Palestine and Israel is essentially a safe venture. Bethlehem, where the summer program will take place, is a relatively safe place to reside in comparison to other parts of the West Bank. With the Holy Land Trust staff ’s presence on the ground, traveling in and around Bethlehem can be very comfortable.

Visitors are never deliberately targeted within Palestinian areas in the West Bank. Many travelers frequent the West Bank throughout the year and rarely experience anything that suggests violent backlash. To avoid scrupulous attention from Israeli security and Israeli Occupational Forces (IOF), avoid wearing Palestinian keffiyahs in Jewish areas and, conversely, do not wear a Jewish kippa or other Jewish items of clothing in Palestinian areas. Use your common sense when traveling and stay safe.

Do Not Pack:

Any explicit materials about your travel plans or itinerary in the West Bank (including this orientation packet).

Materials that could be seen as inflammatory by Israeli security forces if they search your bags.

Addresses of friends, family or others in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Objects that are restricted by Israeli or airport security.

Female Travelers. Middle Easterners are generally conservative, especially about matters concerning sex and women. It is very important that female visitors make an attempt to be sensitive to local cultural norms. This does not necessarily mean that women are treated with disrespect, but expectations about how women should dress and behave in the Middle East differ from many Western countries. Unfortunately, some Middle Eastern men have a twisted view of Western women. Western movies and TV give them the impression that all Western women are promiscuous and will jump into bed at the drop of a hat. It doesn’t actually take much on your part to perpetuate this belief– bare shoulders or shorts on a woman are “proof ” enough, as well as, a little flirtation or even simple friendliness can quickly be misconstrued as something more.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that Western women travelers are guaranteed to be free of harassment if they dress modestly or conduct themselves in a businesslike manner. Prepare yourself for little things to avoid harassment: for instance, we recommend female travelers not to sit in the front seat of a taxi. This might sound trite, but it can prevent a very uncomfortable moment. Politely but firmly turn down whispered invitations and completely ignore come-ons. Accepting the minimum of attention will usually invite more. If ignoring come-ons doesn’t work and the attention starts to get out of hand, seek out a person of authority, or a local woman if possible, to intervene on your behalf. Usually the specter of community shame is enough to put someone back in line.

...Needless to say, many Palestinians have had traumatic experiences with Israeli settlers and soldiers. Because many believe that Israel’s current military policies are supported by all or most Jews, you may, unfortunately, hear the terms “Jew,” “Zionist,” and “Israeli” used interchangeably.

Entry Approaches

Limit Information. By limiting information, you are just a tourist who stayed at a hotel or with friends or hostel within Israel; who didn’t or doesn’t plan to meet with Palestinians, didn’t participate in our summer program in Bethlehem. Use this entry approach and your chances of getting through airport security will be higher and smoother, but never guaranteed.

Some things to keep in mind in using this approach:

You are not indicating that you are participating in Palestine Summer Encounter.

You are not mentioning either the Holy Land Trust or Middle East Fellowship organizations.

You are not indicating that you plan on traveling to the West Bank or Gaza.

You have not packed anything that could label you a “Palestinian sympathizer,” in case you are singled out for a search.

You have prepared a story for why you chose to travel to just Israel and you have contact information and material to support that story.

We often suggest people to “limit information” but the decision and what you feel comfortable with is ultimately yours.

The booklet also talks about how to go to the media afterwards with everything the activists have learned about how awful Israel is - and presumably not to discuss any sexual advances or bigoted statements made by Arabs.

(h/t Anne)